There are a variety of stuffed dolls and toys on the market today which have many shapes and characteristics. There are no pickles. About ten years ago American Greetings sold a very small stuffed toy in the general shape of a pickle. This toy had a green fabric body that was painted to approximate the textured surface of a pickle, had long spindly striped arms and legs, and facial features of yarn that were glued on to the fabric. The doll had a cape as the only clothing. It was stuffed with clippings, synthetic fibers and crushed nut shells.
Most stuffed dolls and toys do not have movable parts or changeable features. They are primarily soft and cuddly toys meant to be played with and loved by their owners. Some have an added characteristic, for example, the ability to be used as a pillow or cushion. A recent example of this type of stuffed toy is the one formed in the shape of the wishbone of a bird. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,026,315).
There have been several stuffed toys with changeable faces. U.S. Pat. No. 3,783,553 shows a stuffed doll with a blank face made of a rigid plastic. The owner uses crayon or similar washable drawing material to draw in the facial features. The face can be changed at the whim of, and according to the talents of the owner.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,811,220 shows a rag doll which comes with a series of face panels which are permanently attached to the doll. To change the face, the user only has to fold down the face panel that is showing and slip it into a pouch built into the doll's torso. Thus the next face panel is revealed behind it.
Kinberg, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,863,386, teaches a doll with a layered face panel that is initially blank. The user draws in the features using a stylus. A dye between the layers can then be seen in the outline drawn. The lines are easily erased and the blank is ready for a new face.
A doll made of a series of interchangeable segments threaded onto a rod or post is taught by Isaf in U.S. Pat. No. 4,820,234. This is readily a doll's head wherein each feature may be changed by rotating one of the segments. The number of combinations possible is very large and covers a wide range of moods and expressions. A somewhat similar type of face changing toy is seen in U.S. Pat. No. Des. 307,307.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,842,565 shows a stuffed doll that reverses into another different entity, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,336,665 shows a stuffed toy with two different faces at opposite ends of an elongated body. The character is changed by flipping a reversible fabric shell fastened at the center of the body.
Rosenberg teaches a stuffed animal with facial features that can be changed by manipulating the outer skin about the face area. U.S. Pat. No. 4,648,851).
Good Housekeeping Magazine offers a doll-making kit for sale wherein the doll has four different facial expressions. The user removes the doll's hat which has the hair attached, swivels the head to reach the desired expression, and replaces the hat, thereby covering the other faces. (Good Housekeeping, May 1992, page 74).